Structure and reactivity of phosphorus-selenium heterocycles with peri-substituted naphthalene backbones

Reaction of naphthalene-1.8-bis(dichlorophosphine) with sodium selenide and selenium gives naphthalene-1,8-diyl)-1,3,2,4-diselenoxodiphosphetane 2,4-diselenide (27), a molecule with its four-membered PSePSe ring spanned by a naphthalene-1,8-diyl backbone. 27 was fully characterised, including by X-ray diffraction. Unusually, the reaction yielded not only 27, but also a polymeric or oligomeric material that was selenium deficient, containing significant amount of species with phosphorus atoms not fully oxidised to P(V). Reactions of the selenium deficient material with simple alcohols afforded two 1,2-diphosphaacenaphthenes, which were structurally characterised.